Bake is a verb meaning to cook food, especially by dry heat in an oven. It often conveys gradual heating and browning, producing a firm exterior and tender interior. In everyday use, it can also describe heat-processing of substances (e.g., bread, pastries) and is commonly paired with adjectives like
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- You may substitute a short, lax vowel like /bæ/ instead of the correct /beɪ/. Remedy: practice the mouth opening from /b/ to a wide /eɪ/ glide, ending with a hard /k/. - People often voice the final /k/ or add an extra syllable, making /beɪk/ sound like /beik/ or /beɪkə/. Remedy: practice voiceless velar stop by focusing on a crisp stop release without vocal fold vibration. - Some speakers insert a schwa before the k, sounding like /bəke/. Remedy: keep the vowel as /eɪ/ and snap shut with /k/ immediately after the vowel.
- US: clear, non-rhoticity is less of a factor in bake since it’s a closed syllable; ensure /eɪ/ is bright and the /k/ is crisp. IPA: /beɪk/. - UK: similarly /beɪk/; you may have slightly tenser vowel due to British closer vowel quality; keep lips rounded enough for /eɪ/ and the final /k/ crisp. - AU: often a shorter, more centralized /eɪ/; maintain a strong /k/ release but expect slight vowel reduction in casual speech. - Tip: always practice with a mirror to monitor lip rounding and tongue position for /eɪ/ before the /k/.
"I will bake a loaf of sourdough this afternoon."
"She baked cookies for the school fundraiser last night."
"Cakes bake at a steady temperature for about 30 minutes."
"They plan to bake bread every weekend to keep the bakery stocked."
The verb bake comes from Old English bacian, which meant to bake or to cook by dry heat, and is related to the Proto-Germanic bacjanan. The root is linked to Proto-Indo-European bhā- meaning 'to burn' or 'to shine.' In Middle English, bake evolved to refer specifically to cooking with dry heat in an oven, distinguishing it from boiling or stewing. The spelling and pronunciation stabilized into bake by the early modern period, with the long-standing sense focused on oven-based cooking. The term has long formed a core part of domestic language in English-speaking communities, reflecting a traditional method of preparing bread, pastries, and other baked goods. First known uses appear in Old English texts, with later medieval manuscripts documenting baking as a common craft in towns and monasteries, before expanding into modern home and commercial baking. Across centuries, bake retained its practical culinary meaning while also appearing in metaphorical phrases (e.g., bake a plan), showing flexibility in idiomatic usage.
💡 Etymology tip: Understanding word origins can help you remember pronunciation patterns and recognize related words in the same language family.
Help others use "bake" correctly by contributing grammar tips, common mistakes, and context guidance.
💡 These words have similar meanings to "bake" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "bake" and show contrast in usage.
📚 Vocabulary tip: Learning synonyms and antonyms helps you understand nuanced differences in meaning and improves your word choice in speaking and writing.
Words that rhyme with "bake"
-ake sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
🎵 Rhyme tip: Practicing with rhyming words helps you master similar sound patterns and improves your overall pronunciation accuracy.
You pronounce bake as /beɪk/. It’s a one-syllable verb with primary stress on the whole word. Start with a relaxed bilabial /b/, followed by the rising diphthong /eɪ/ (like 'say'), then end with the voiceless velar stop /k/. Keep the tongue at the alveolar ridge or slightly back, and release the /k/ crisply. You’ll want a clean transition from /eɪ/ to /k/ without coloring the vowel into /ɛ/ or /ɒ/. Audio cues: listen to native speakers in Pronounce or YouGlish for quick confirmation.”,
The most common errors are: mispronouncing the /beɪ/ as a short vowel like /bæ/ (making it sound like 'back'), and delaying or voicing the final /k/ (making it sound like /kɪ/ or /keɪ/). Another error is adding an extra syllable or gliding into /bəːk/. To correct: lengthen the diphthong to /eɪ/ with a smooth glide to /k/, and produce a sharp, unvoiced /k/ with no voicing after release.”,
Across accents, the core /beɪk/ remains, but vowel quality varies: US and UK both use /eɪ/ with a rhotic or non-rhotic influence in surrounding syllables; the main difference is consonant release timing and vowel length. In Australian English, the /eɪ/ can be slightly less tense and may involve a more centralized tongue position, while maintaining a clear /k/ at the end. The overall effect is minimal for 'bake' itself, but surrounding vowels can influence perceived length.”,
The difficulty lies in producing a clean, unvoiced final /k/ after a tense diphthong /eɪ/. Some speakers insert a short vowel or voice the /k/ (getting /keɪɡ/ or /beɪk/ with voicing). Others blur the diphthong, making /beɡ/ or /bɛk/. Focus on a crisp /k/ release and a precise /eɪ/ glide, with no extra schwa in between. IPA cues: /beɪk/. Mouth position: lips slightly rounded for /eɪ/, then sudden back-of-mouth closure for /k/.”,
Unique aspects involve the rapid diphthong /eɪ/ followed by a hard stop /k/. Unlike some other /eɪ/ words, bake ends abruptly with a plosive, leaving little opportunity for additional vowel modification. This makes precise timing and voiceless /k/ release crucial. For beginners, use a short, sharp closure to avoid trailing syllables or a gliding off into /l/ or /r/.
🗣️ Voice search tip: These questions are optimized for voice search. Try asking your voice assistant any of these questions about "bake"!
- Shadowing: listen to native speech saying 'bake' in sentences; imitate exact timing: /b/ closure, /eɪ/ glide, /k/ release; repeat 8-12 times. - Minimal pairs: pair /beɪk/ with /bæk/ (back), /beɡ/ (beg) to feel vowel length difference. - Rhythm: emphasize beat-aligned delivery—single-syllable word with even, crisp rhythm; practice with sentences like 'I will bake it today' at a controlled tempo. - Stress patterns: keep bake unstressed in longer phrases, but clear on its own; in phrases like 'bake a cake' ensure /beɪk/ has prominent onset and end. - Recording: record yourself saying 'bake' in isolation and within context; compare to native speaker; adjust speed and vowel tension. - Contexts: practice in recipe statements, bakery terms, and casual conversations to reinforce versatility. - Progression: start with slow articulation, move to normal pace, then fast conversational speed while maintaining accuracy. - Kinaesthetic focus: ensure clean lip closure for /b/, tongue tip behind upper teeth for /eɪ/ glide, and back-of-mouth closure for /k/.
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